Why the Home Gym for Darius Renfro

By: ajpirate85

I have been going to the gym for many years now. There finally came a time when my wife and decided it was time to make the big choice and turn our garage into our own gym. We had been discussing it for a long time, going back and forth on if we should or not. Or, if it would be the wisest choice because at the time my wife was training for triathlons and needed a pool for training as well as the cost involved in starting our own gym. Ultimately, we decided it would be more financially beneficial to stop paying our monthly dues to the gym and put it into our own gym.

We started off slowly by purchasing a squat rack, a bench and an Olympic weight set. Over time, we have added things here and there and have made our gym into an amazing gym for our home. I will say this when it comes to starting your own gym make, sure you take your time and buy things slowly. Over time you can make your gym into the best gym that you want. Buying things new especially when it comes to things like bars and bands is a good way to go, but utilizing craigslist and places that offer used sports equipment are great resources. The only thing I have purchased new so far has been my rack, the first bar and plates and a bench. You just have to watch for those deals.

I have always enjoyed powerlifting as well as olympic lifting, but those are difficult to do in a traditional home setting. They are always so tight and compact. They try and fit the most into the gym as possible, which it makes it very difficult to do that type of lifting in those types of gyms. For me, it was really hard working at being a powerlifter and an olympic lifter in a normal gym setting. Also, it was really expensive to join a gym where I could do the training that I wanted, which for me was the ultimate decision to stop going to a traditional gym and build my own gym.

Having my own gym at my house has really helped me to develop into an all-around better athlete. When working out at a traditional gym there are so many people around and hovering over you that it makes it hard to try and develop yourself into a better lifter. For me, I always felt I had to get in and get out as quickly as possible so not to have to deal with having people standing around waiting for you to finish. The issue with that is it was hard for me to work on my form and make sure I was creating in me the best athlete and lifter I could be.

Right now, I am in the best shape that I have been in for a long time. I have set PR’s on my squats, deadlifts, and bench. I definitely atone that to having my own gym because it has allowed me to not give myself the excuse of not going to the gym because it is too far away. I would spend almost the same amount of time in the car going to and from the gym as I would working out and losing the motivation to go. It has also allowed me to take the time to make sure I have good form which overall prevents me from being injured as well as setting PR’s.

I will say that if you are planning on building your own home gym again go slow, take your time, build it how you want it to be and I promise you will love every minute of it. I certainly have.